Green coloring of table olives with chlorophyll compounds

ABSTRACT

A process for coloring treated and untreated green olives and their products by the use of water solutions of natural Chlorophyll, Chlorophyllin and Copper Chlorophyllin salts. A procedure for the coloring of green treated and untreated whole olives in, olives without the pit and olive slices by the use of alkaline solution of natural Chlorophyll, Chlorophyllin and Copper Chlorophyllin salts so as to have a product which is a uniformed bright green in color, enriched with Chlorophylls which were removed from the natural olives during the stages of their treatment, fermentation and storage in the tanks. It is a stable product, absolutely natural which one can handle, after this new process, as all the other olives up until now, in the global market.

The present invention concerns the procedure for coloring green olives,treated or un-treated that are whole olives, pitted and olive pieces,using alkaline water solutions of Chlorophyll, Chlorophyllin and CopperChlorophyllin salts.

It is known that the natural extracts of Chlorophyll, Chlorophyllin andCopper Chlorophyllin salts are used for the manufacture of sweets,ice-creams and conserved vegetables without any dangerous impact onhealth and are allowed to be used by the European Union (directive20008/128EK 22 Dec. 2008) and by the Federal Drugs and FoodsAdministration service of the United States of America (Federal RegisterFinal Rule 67 FR 35429—May 20, 2002), producing a green bright color.

The treated and un-treated green olives, during the treatment to removethe bitter taste, to be fermented in a solution of sodium chloride andduring the preservation in tank with brine in presence of organic acidsthat adjust the PH, they lose most of the Chlorophyll amount theycontained and acquire a yellow, light yellow-green and sometimes ayellow-brown color.

Through this method the whole olives, the pitted olives, the stuffedolives and the olive bits acquire a uniformed green natural color.

The purpose of this invention is to attach a uniformed bright greencolor to treated and un-treated, whole olives, pitted olives, oliverounds, in quarters and halves. This purpose was achieved by theirsinking in alkaline environment with water solution of naturalChlorophyll, Chlorophyllin and Copper Chlorophyllin salts.

In the process of the present invention the whole, the pitted olives orolive pieces are sunk, according to each case, into a water solutionwhich contains Sodium Hydroxide in density 0.01 -3.5%, depending on thematurity and the fermentation degree of the olives, adding naturalChlorophyll, Chlorophyllin and Copper Chlorophyllin salts in the densityof 0.005-0.9%. They remain for 6-16 hours, washed with water and thennew water is added which contains Citric acid 0.1-0.3% and Ascorbic acid0.1-0.15%. They remain there until the remaining of Sodium Hydroxide isneutralized. The last procedure is repeated until the PH of the systemis balanced in a number less than 4.6.

The product is ready to be preserved into glass, plastic or tinplatedcontainers with filling fluid of Sodium Chloride ranging from 0.0-7%depending on the consumers' wish and adjusting of the filling fluid PHwith organic acids in a number less than 4.6. The firmly closedcontainers are led to the heating treatment or neutral gas, as any otherkind of packing according to the good manufacturing process.

The product, the whole olives, pitted olives or olive pieces can bepreserved into containers not firmly closed, adding brine containingsalt more than 4% in the presence of organic acids of Citric, Ascorbicand Lactic acid so as to obtain a PH less than 4.5. The presence of thepreservative Sorbate Potassium within the permitted limits by the law upto 0.1% is wanted.

The examples following below are given with a view to the furtherexplanation of the present invention. It must be taken intoconsideration that the parts mentioned in the following examples meanweight parts and the maturity of the raw material is in the middle ofthe harvest period.

EXAMPLE 1

Five hundred grams of whole treated olives mid harvest period, undergonefull fermentation, remaining sugars less than 0.04%, are set into 480grams of water containing 15 grams of Sodium Hydroxide and 0.9 grams ofCopper Chlorophyllin remain for 7-12 hours depending on the environmenttemperature. The solution is removed and the olives are washed for theirclearing from the alkaline residues and the redundant Chlorophyllin. Theolives are set into 520 grams of water which holds 0.6 grams of Ascorbicacid and 1 gram of Citric acid. They remain there until the PH isbalanced in a number less than 4.6. If this is not achieved, thesolution is removed and a new identical solution is used. A third effortmay be needed. It depends on the way the olives are washed. The readyolives are preserved in a jar with filling fluid of Sodium Chloridesolution 3% and Citric acid for the adjusting of the PH solution in anumber less than 4.2. The jar, then, is pasteurized in the temperatureof 75° C. for 8-25 minutes and then immediately it is cooled in ambienttemperature.

EXAMPLE 2

Four hundred and twenty grams of treated olives without a pit, midperiod harvested and undergone a full fermentation, remaining sugarsless than 0.04%, are set in 480 grams of water holding 13 grams ofSodium Hydroxide and 0.9 grams of Copper Chlorophyllin. They remainthere for 7-10 hours, depending on the ambient temperature. Then, thesolution is removed and the olives are washed for the clearing from thealkaline residues and the redundant Chlorophyllin. They are set in 520grams of water which holds 0.6 grams of Ascorbic acid and 1 gram ofCitric acid. They remain there until the PH is balanced in a number lessthan 4.6. If this is not achieved, the solution is removed and a newidentical solution is used. A third effort may be needed. It depends onthe way the olives are washed. The ready olives are set in 520 grams ofbrine which holds 10% Sodium Chloride, 0.1% Sorbate Potassium and 0.8%Lactic acid, in a jar with screw top.

1-10. (canceled)
 11. A treated green olive colored by use of chlorophyllin salts, and by a process comprising the steps of: depositing the treated green olive in an alkaline environment with an alkaline solution including the chlorophyllin salts; leaving the green olive in the alkaline solution for a predetermined period of time; removing the green olive from the alkaline solution; depositing the green olive into an acidic solution having an acid; and maintaining the green olive in the acid solution until a pH of the green olive becomes less than a predetermined amount, wherein the aforementioned steps are performed at ambient temperature.
 12. The treated green olive according to claim 11, wherein the process further comprises the step of preserving the green olive through pasteurization.
 13. The treated green olive according to claim 11, wherein the process further comprises the step of preserving the green olive in a brine solution with food additives.
 14. The treated green olive according to claim 11, wherein the process further comprises the step of preserving the green olive in a modified atmosphere.
 15. The treated green olive according to claim 11, wherein the treated green olive is a pitted treated green olive.
 16. The treated green olive according to claim 11, wherein the treated green olive is a natural olive picked from an olive tree.
 17. The treated green olive according to claim 11, wherein the process further comprises the step of periodically changing the acidic solution to achieve the pH of less than the predetermined amount.
 18. The treated green olive according to claim 11, further comprising the step of washing the green olive after removing it from the alkaline solution.
 19. The treated green olive according to claim 11, wherein the predetermined amount is 4.2.
 20. Treated green olives colored by use of chlorophyllin salts, and by a process comprising the steps of: soaking salt out of the treated green olives in sodium chloride; sinking the green olives into an alkaline first fluid solution including sodium hydroxide or other metal hydroxyl groups, and chlorophyllin salts; leaving the green olives in the first fluid solution from about 1 to about 72 hours; removing the green olives from the first fluid solution; sinking the green olives into an acidic second fluid solution holding an acid; and maintaining the green olives in the second fluid solution until a pH of the green olives becomes less than a predetermined amount, wherein the aforementioned steps are performed at ambient temperature.
 21. The treated green olives according to claim 20, further comprising the step of washing the treated green olives with water after removing the green olives from the first fluid solution.
 22. The treated green olives according to claim 20, wherein the process further comprises the step of preserving the green olives through pasteurization.
 23. The treated green olives according to claim 20, wherein the process further comprises the step of preserving the green olives in a brine solution with food additives.
 24. The treated green olives according to claim 20, wherein the process further comprises the step of preserving the green olives in a modified atmosphere.
 25. The treated green olives according to claim 20, wherein the process further comprises setting the green olives in closed containers with filling fluid including sodium chloride and additional acid, such that the pH of the green olives is maintained at less than the predetermined amount.
 26. The treated green olives according to claim 25, wherein the closed containers are pasteurized in temperatures from about 68° C. to about 80° C. for a period from about 25 minutes to about 30 minutes and subsequently cooled in ambient temperature.
 27. The treated green olives according to claim 20, wherein the acid is at least one of lactic acid, citric acid, ascorbic acid, and hydrochloric acid or any combination thereof.
 28. The treated green olives according to claim 20, wherein the green olives are pitted treated green olives.
 29. The treated green olives according to claim 20, wherein the treated green olives are pieces of treated green olives produced from green treated pitted olives.
 30. The treated green olives according to claim 29, wherein the pieces of treated green olives are in the form of a slice, half pitted olive or quarter pitted olive.
 31. The treated green olives according to claim 20, further comprising the step of periodically changing the second fluid solution to achieve the pH of less than the predetermined amount.
 32. The treated green olives according to claim 20, wherein the predetermined amount is 4.2.
 33. Treated green olives having a bright green color created by a process comprising: depositing the treated green olives in an alkaline environment with a water solution of chlorophyllin salts; leaving the green olives in the water solution for a predetermined period of time; removing the green olives from the water solution; depositing the green olives into an acidic solution holding an acid; and maintaining the green olives in the acid until a pH of the green olives becomes less than a predetermined amount, wherein the aforementioned steps are performed at ambient temperature.
 34. The treated green olives according to claim 33, further comprising washing the green olives with water after removing the green olives from the water solution.
 35. The treated green olives according to claim 33, wherein the green olives are one of whole olives, pitted olives, olive rounds, olive halves, and olive quarters or any combination thereof.
 36. The treated green olives according to claim 33, wherein the process further comprises the step of preserving the green olives through pasteurization.
 37. The treated green olives according to claim 33, wherein the process further comprises the step of preserving the green olives in a brine solution with food additives.
 38. The treated green olives according to claim 33, wherein the predetermined amount is 4.2.
 39. Treated green olives having a bright green color created by a process comprising: depositing the treated green olives in an alkaline environment with a solution of chlorophyllin salts; leaving the green olives in the solution for a predetermined period of time; removing the green olives from the solution; depositing the green olives into an acidic solution having an acid; and maintaining the green olives in the acid until a pH of the green olives becomes less than a predetermined amount, wherein the aforementioned steps are performed at ambient temperature.
 40. The treated green olives according to claim 39, further comprising washing the green olives after removing them from the solution.
 41. The treated green olives according to claim 39, wherein the process further comprises the step of preserving the green olives through pasteurization.
 42. The treated greens olive according to claim 39, wherein the process further comprises the step of preserving the green olives in a brine solution with food additives.
 43. The treated green olives according to claim 39, wherein the green olives are one of whole olives, pitted olives, olive rounds, olive halves, and olive quarters or any combination thereof.
 44. The treated green olives according to claim 39, further comprising the step of periodically changing the acidic solution to achieve the pH of less than the predetermined amount.
 45. The treated green olives according to claim 39, wherein the predetermined amount is 4.2. 